Posted on 06/12/2015 9:44:27 PM PDT by rey
Less than two months before he died from a neurological disease, Paul Stimson threw a big party for himself — a bit like having your own funeral while you’re still alive — and invited all his friends to come and celebrate his life with him.
The April event at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building drew close to 200 people, a kind of who’s who of the Sonoma County bicycling community, including former pro cyclist Levi Leip-heimer. They came to honor Stimson, an accomplished amateur rider and racer, who was dying from ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Cycling was only one chapter in the life of Stimson, who died Wednesday at the age of 62. He was attracted to challenging and exhilarating physical pursuits, from rock and ice wall climbing, to team skydiving, slalom skiing, surfing and scuba diving.
The Santa Rosa man faced his end with some of the same courage and stamina it took for the extreme sports he thrived on, choosing to stop eating and drinking until nature took its course, rather than prolonging his life with a feeding tube, ventilator and artificial breathing machine.
“He decided long ago, he didn’t want to get a feeding tube. He wasn’t Stephen Hawking. He didn’t want to live in his mind only,” said his wife of 25 years, Mary Jane Stimson. “I don’t blame him. He was incredibly active. He would just go crazy.”
Without the option of assisted suicide, she said, “the only choice in California is to stop eating and drinking. It’s not a fun thing to watch or experience. It’s very difficult.”
(Excerpt) Read more at pressdemocrat.com ...
If it wouldn’t result in mission creep, I’d be all for it. The more liberals offing themselves for any reason, the better for America and the world.
But it would result in mission creep. It already is thanks to Romneycare...sorry. Obamacare.
Not only would they start offing themselves for other reasons. They would also start offing others as well. First they would start offing those whose lives seemed to be over. Then they would go after the “useless lives”. After that there would be the lives they feel are not helping humanity, sort of a Uni-bomber sort of thing.
Sanctity of life does not require quality of life. These people should read A day in the Life.
Wait ... I thought they told us when they murdered Terry Shivo that starvation and thirsting to death was euphoric and humane . I’m confused .
“...but the whole thing seems to be a push for assisted suicide.”
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I didn’t see (in the article) HIM advocating for assisted suicide. He chose how his life was to end and I respect him for that...just as I respect the folks caught in the Twin Towers who chose to end their life by jumping to their deaths instead of perishing in fire.
“Without the option of assisted suicide, she said, “the only choice in California is to stop eating and drinking. It’s not a fun thing to watch or experience. It’s very difficult.”
Dont understand. Without the option of assisted suicide, why is the ONLY option is to stop eating and drinking? Certainly there are many other methods of suicide.
He sounds like a lovely man. This was a fine tribute. It’s always great to read about people with grace and dignity.
You can say technology has now allowed people to live a lot longer and more uncomfortably as well, sort of reverse mission creep.
People in the past would have been taken care of in a bed at home, until they died. There would be no fancy contraptions prolonging the inevitable.
Note I am not talking about injuries that people can recover from. I’m talking specifically in this instance about ALS and similar maladies. Who wants to live trapped in a body doing nothing, being uncomfortable because we have the technology to keep them alive and uncomfortable? I question in some cases whether this is done in the spirit of do no harm. Nature is disrupted from taking its natural course for some (SOME) things such as this.
Of course vultures will want to expand it for other stuff and it’s easy to make distinctions between someone having a bad day and a guy in late stage ALS.
I agree. Very interesting.
You mean "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn?
Regards,
No kidding. I’d load up the biggest needle of pure heroin in the history of time. (if I were to do it)
This isn’t about compassion for those in terminal agony any more that then, 50 yrs ago, the movement to carve out a little space on airplanes was just about safe space for nonsmokers.
“I didn’t see (in the article) HIM advocating for assisted suicide. He chose how his life was to end and I respect him for that...just as I respect the folks caught in the Twin Towers who chose to end their life by jumping to their deaths instead of perishing in fire.”
No, he didn’t but the tone of the article seemed to be a push for assisted suicide.
Not a pretty way to die. One of the guys I played recreation basketball with for 20+ years, a small town police chief, got ALS year before last. He was playing ball with us regularly, and we’d stop off for some rehydration and BS about sports, politics, work. Then within a few months was barely mobile. Then the wheelchair and hardly being able to speak or lift a hand. He was dead in a year, give or take, at 55.
No confusion necessary. They lie.
Yes
Sorry about your friend. these things are terrible. My point is, is this the right thing to do, kill yourself and the article seemed to be a promotional piece for assisted suicide. Having been somewhat close to this, what are your thoughts?
I guess “situational ethics” come into play here. In a hopeless situation (WTC, burn or jump for example) I can’t fault the victim for choosing quicker and/or easier. But then you get the nut job who goes off his meds and demands to be allowed the right to die, though what afflicts him is manageable with the medication.
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